The Health Minister today launched the Department of Health’s Core Grant funding scheme for 2026/2027.

The scheme is open to community and voluntary sector organisations and is intended to support them with core operating costs.

To ensure a greater number of organisations receive support under the scheme in 2026/2027, the maximum bid per eligible organisation is being capped at £50,000.

This guarantees a minimum of 64 recipients from a budget of £1.8m, compared to 26 recipients in 2025/2026.

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt said:

“My Department and I are committed to supporting the community and voluntary sector as much as possible, recognising its vital role in promoting public health and social wellbeing.
“Community and voluntary sector organisations provide vital assistance to those within our communities who need it most, and in doing so, support statutory services in what remains a very challenging environment.

“My Department has been liaising closely with the sector and their valuable feedback has helped inform the development of the 2026/27 scheme. I want to thank all of those who engaged so constructively with my officials, including colleagues from NICVA, CO3, and the Northern Ireland Health Collective.

“Although I would have liked to have been able to devote more than the £1.8m, I have protected this important investment in the community and voluntary sector, despite the continued severe budgetary constraints facing my Department. I will continue to press the case for sustained additional funding for health and social care.

“I have listened to the feedback following the outcome of last year’s application process, which made it clear that the scheme should be supporting a larger number of organisations, and particularly those smaller organisations which struggle the most to cover their core costs. The scheme has therefore been restructured to ensure that at least 64 organisations working across four key priority policy areas can be supported in 2026/27, and a majority of those supported will have an annual income of less than £1m.”

Under the 2026/2027 scheme, eligible organisations are invited to apply to one of four policy funds, each totalling £450,000. They are:

Public health, including reducing health inequalities;
Supporting adults, including those with disabilities, to live independent, healthy and inclusive lives;
Supporting children and young people, including those with disabilities and vulnerabilities, and their families;
Improving the mental health and wellbeing of the population.

Organisations have until 12pm on Friday 28 November 2025 to apply for funding from the scheme.

Further information, including the application form and guidance, can be found online at: Core Grant Funding Scheme 2026-27 | Department of Health